In the wake of the Internet and the options of digital media access-versus-ownership is meanwhile a generally accepted concept for libraries. However, subject-specific access to media requires controlled collection development, independently from the technical form of the media. The presentation provides a short overview of the development of freely accessible electronic publiations during the last decade and describes how libraries in Germany have tried to integrate them in their collection development efforts. Finally, some reflections about the access-versus-ownership model are put up for discussion.